Текст книги "Natural Selection"

Автор книги: Michael A. Stackpole

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Conal's face appeared on Phelan's secondary monitor. "The bridges have been blown. Old Connaught is safe."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"I have blown the bridges, as you ordered. Your home is safe." Conal's image vanished and was replaced with a gun-camera feed showing the two bridges over the Kilkenny sagging into the river. "The bandits will not cross!"

"What have you done, Conal?" Phelan slammed one fist against the arm of his command couch. "I told you to stop them, not blow the bridges!"

"And I have. You placed us here to guard Old Connaught. I have made certain they will not reach the city."

"I wanted you to prevent the Red Corsair from reaching her DropShip, Conal! Quickly, get there before she does."

"We cannot, we are north of the river. We cannot cross it."

"Why would you blow it before you had crossed?"

"She has access to a DropShip. She could have gotten to Old Connaught had we crossed before blowing the bridge."

I know you are not so obtuse, Conal. Did you suffer brain-fade, or are you out to tarnish my victory here?Phelan's hands tightened into fists. "Pull back to Old Connaught at full speed, Conal. If the Red Corsair doesreach her DropShip and gets behind you, I will meet you in a Circle of Equals and rip your heart out with my bare hands, do you understand?"

"Aff, my Khan. It will be as you desire."

Phelan stabbed the commlink button to Tac Two. "Eagle Leader, can you get at the Red Corsair's DropShip and stop it?"

"Negative, Wolf One." Carew's voice carried a note of caution. "The Tigressapparently carried with it a Point of Stukas,a Point of Transgressors,and a Point of Corsairs.They are flying CAP for the DropShip and we are all running light on ammo. They seem content to let us strafe stragglers, but I am not confident we can get through. If it is what you desire, I will try."

Phelan knew that he had only to give the order and Carew would give his life trying to accomplish the task. "Stand by, Eagle Leader." Phelan switched to Tac Four. "Star Captain Fetladral, report on the Sidhe."

"Less than a Star running. The Red Corsair is one of those in retreat. They are within a kilometer of the Tigress.Alpha Battalion has the rest of them under control or dead."

"Roger, Star Captain. Wolf One out." Phelan reestablished the link with Carew. "Eagle One, initiate ground-support operations. Let the DropShip go . . . mop up. No reason for more of us to die today."

Bates again broke the darkness of Nelson's improvised planetarium, but that was fine with him. "The battle is over, Kommandant. The good guys won."

Nelson smiled unconsciously. "She escaped, didn't she?"

Bates hesitated, then nodded. "How did you know?"

The maimed MechWarrior curled his half-hand into a misshapen fist. "There are times, Mr. Bates, when God doesanswer prayers."

37

Tharkad

Federated Commonwealth

12 September 3055

 

Victor Davion looked up with relief from the crop reports as Galen Cox entered his office. The smile on Galen's face raised a cousin on Victor's lips despite the late hour and his fatigue. "You have heard some good news?"

Galen nodded and a laugh escaped him. "Report from Arc-Royal. The Corsair's raiding days are finished."

"Yes!" Victor slapped the top of his desk and gave Galen a thumb's-up. "That's the best news I've had in months. Did they get her? Will we have a trial?"

"No, she escaped with a half-dozen or so fighters and two other 'Mechs." Galen frowned slightly. "The rest of the bandits were killed, to a man. The Hounds are hedging their estimates of salvage. ..."

"Who cares? They can have it all." Victor allowed himself a half-smile. "The Hounds were created with money my grandfather gave Morgan and Patrick Kell, and doubled in size with a bequest from my grandmother's will. Given their success rate and their loyalty to the Steiners, I should pay them enough to establish two more regiments."

Galen shook his head slightly. "I believe your mother would applaud that decision, but I do not think it is a good public relations move. It reinforces your image as a cold militarist."

"We wouldn't want that, now, would we?" Victor sighed and glanced at the agricultural printouts stacked on his desk. "On some worlds we have to protect the price of grains because they are so abundant and on others we have to discount the grain we import so people can afford to buy bread. And I thought the logistics of running a military unit were bad."

"I shall leave you to your work, then."

"No, not so fast. You're not getting off that easily." Victor stood up and stretched. "What did today's briefing from Curaitis say?"

Victor saw a spark of annoyance in Galen's eyes, but his aide acquiesced and sat down heavily in a wingback chair. Galen had offered to filter reports on the investigation to Victor, and the Prince had taken him up on it. It freed Victor for the important business of running the Federated Commonwealth, but sentenced Galen to informal daily briefings.

"Curaitis says that they have completed the third round of narco-interrogation of the assassin. It was, by far, the most satisfactory of the rounds because they are no longer giving him medication for the fat embolis."

"The assassin will live, then?" Initially the doctors had feared that the assassin would not survive because the fractures to his leg had released bone marrow into the bloodstream. The fat from the marrow had clogged the man's coronary arteries, resulting in a massive and very unexpected heart attack. The fat embolis had come very close to killing the assassin and had delayed his interrogation for what, to Victor, was an intolerable amount of time.

"Yes, the angioplasty cleared up the problem with his heart, and the doctors do not expect a brain embolis. His death won't become part of your conspiracy to hide your involvement in your mother's death." Galen smiled sardonically. "In this interrogation Curaitis learned about the assassin's connections and how he was given assignments. It seems fairly clear that the man was not working for House Liao or Kurita."

Victor frowned. "That leaves someone from the Free Worlds League or the Federated Commonwealth as his employer. And I know which one I'd wish to be the correct one."

"It is possible that someone did strike at your mother because of the perception that Joshua Marik is being held 'hostage' at the New Avalon Institute of Science, but Thomas Marik cannot deny that the leukemia treatments are keeping the boy's disease in check. Chances are, however, that any strike from that quarter would have been carried out by an agent of the ComStar splinter group now based in the Free Worlds League."

"And this guy had no ComStar or Word of Blake ties," Victor said. "That means it's someone here, someone from the Federated Commonwealth. But who?"

Galen shook his head. "If I knew that, you would have his head on a platter desk."

"What about that list of people who purchased tickets to the banquet? Have they all checked out?"

"The list is still being compiled. The assassin's capture shifted some of our assets in that direction." Galen frowned. "I'll make sure it gets finished."

"Good. When it's done, I want to see it." Victor leaned forward in the red chair opposite the one where Galen sat. "Any improvement in public opinion?"

The slender blond man nodded. "You're no longer the demon they were painting you three months ago. The interviews you've given have been drawing bigger audiences as they move from world to world. Your approval rating has climbed a bit—and the end of the Red Corsair should help that even more."

Victor nodded. "I was thinking I might attend Salome Kell's funeral on Arc-Royal."

Galen hissed. "I don't know. How would it look if you went to her funeral after not attending your own mother's?"

"But won't it look worse if I don't acknowledge the service the Hounds have performed for the Federated Commonwealth?" Victor frowned. "I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't."

"Such are the rewards of your office."

"I suppose." Victor suppressed a yawn. "I think I'll send Katherine to the funeral and have her carry a message to Morgan and the Kell Hounds from me. The same day that Salome is buried, I will lay a wreath at my mother's grave and make a large contribution to the orphanage fund she supported." He sighed. "It all seems like a game of hollow gestures. I would rather be there. I hope Morgan will understand."

"I am sure he will, Highness."

Victor nodded slowly. "Good. At least that's one who will."

38

Kell Hound Headquarters

Old Connaught, Arc-Royal

Federated Commonwealth

18 September 3055

 

Seated alone and in the dark, Phelan Ward stared at the image frozen on the computer screen on his desk. Isolated from Carew's gun-camera battle ROM, the digitized image showed what looked to Phelan like a green raptor bearing a katana in its talons. Phelan had constructed the composite picture by layering on the frames as the logo was revealed and then consumed by fire.

There was no mistaking it. The fighters belonged to the Jade Falcons.

Phelan felt a chill run to the marrow his bones. It was the conclusion that satisfied Occam's razor—the simplest answer was most often the correct one. Assigning past ownership of the aerospace fighters or of thataerospace fighter to the Jade Falcons limited the enormity of the problem he might have uncovered.

That simple answer brought dozens of questions with it. It was possible that the Red Corsair, with her one DropShip, had staged a raid on a Jade Falcon world from which she got fighters, another DropShip, more 'Mechs, and a new JumpShip, but it was inconceivable that he would not have heard about it. The Jade Falcons would have screamed about such losses to the ilKhan, using the failure of the Thirty-first Wolf Solahma and the Kell Hounds against Ulric like a club. The ilKhan would have told him about the attack, both to stress the urgency of stopping the Red Corsair and to warn him that she had new assets.

Phelan could think of only one reason why he would not have heard about a raid on the Jade Falcons: the raid did not take place. That, in turn, meant that it was the Jade Falcons who had been resupplying the Red Corsair. Yet the Falcons had never acknowledged the bandits as their agents and, in fact, would never disgrace such a good fighting unit with that label.

What began to unfold in the young Khan's mind was the outline of a conspiracy so bold and well-executed that he could not prove a bit of it. Had it succeeded, the Inner Sphere and the Clans would have once again been pitted against each other in a war of conquest. The truce would have been a memory and the ilKhan would have been disgraced and swept from power in a silent coup by the Jade Falcons.

In many ways it made more sense the more he thought about it. The Jade Falcons had suffered gravely in the war against the Inner Sphere. Kai Allard-Liao had almost singlehandedly defeated them at Twycross, frustrated and then humiliated them at Alyina, and then worked with them to liberate the planet from ComStar. Besides, no matter that they came off as the second-best of seven Clans fighting ComStar on Tukayyid, they were so far behind the Wolves' performance that they looked hardly better than the rest. Once an influential and powerful Clan, the Jade Falcons had lost both strength and political influence in the course of the invasion of the Inner Sphere.

The truce of Tukayyid had helped them more than they wanted to acknowledge because it forestalled any Federated Commonwealth counterattack along their border. Both sides raided above the truce line. The year before, a combined Federated Commonwealth/Wolf's Dragoons force had thrown back a big Jade Falcon push at Morges, but real gains were few and temporary at best. But the Jade Falcons were resilient and might still have expanded at the Commonwealth's expense but for one thing.

That one thing was the resumption of interClan raiding. The invasion of the Inner Sphere had brought the Clans together, providing a unifying focus that led to a gradual reduction in internecine battles. With the signing of the truce the other Clans had begun trying to nibble away at the Falcons, whose Inner Sphere holdings were sandwiched between the Federated Commonwealth and the Wolf Clan.

If the bandits had managed to raid their way over the truce line and then had proclaimed themselves as Jade Falcons, two things would have happened immediately. The first was that war with the Inner Sphere would have resumed instantly. That would have pitted the Wolves against ComStar, and the other Clans against the Draconis Combine. Once again the need to vanquish the common enemy of the Inner Sphere would have postponed the internal fighting that threatened the Jade Falcons.

More important, though, the Jade Falcons would have proved that even a bandit outfit could best the Inner Sphere. The various Clan forces opposed to the truce would have immediately swung their backing to the Jade Falcons and could have challenged Ulric to a Trial of Refusal to repudiate the truce. Even if Ulric succeeded in defending his position, the challenges would come so quickly that he would be forced to repudiate the truce himself as ComStar renewed hostilities. Precentor Martial Focht would have been forced to attack because he would no longer have been able to control the radical elements within ComStar.

Until the Jade Falcons succeeded, howeyer, they had to travel incognito because the ilKhan would have forced their recall before they could get anywhere near the truce line. That would have resulted in the Jade Falcons losing even more power and prestige, and possibly embroiled them in a war with the Wolf Clan had they disobeyed the ilKhan's directive.

It occurred to Phelan that if the Jade Falcons werebacking the Red Corsair, revelation of that fact could tear the Clans apart and transform interClan raiding into an all-out civil war. Such internal division would be an unhoped-for boon to the Inner Sphere, all but guaranteeing an end to the hostilities.

I wonder how much ComStar knew about the raiders when the Precentor Martial forced the ilKhan and the Archon to have Victor and me agree to hunting the Red Corsair down?Had a Jade Falcon unit discovered this renegade Falcon plot during their battle against the raiders, they would have suppressed it and the Clan would have dealt with it internally. This would have removed the plotters from their midst, but would have weakened the Jade Falcons and created a serious split in their ranks. ComStar would have loved that.

As a Wolf Khan who was committed to maintaining the peace, Phelan's knowledge of the raiders' possible backing was as good as not having discovered it at all. His appointment as liaison, and the selection of a Wolf Clan unit to hunt the bandits, were the best possible outcome of ComStar's plan. At the least the ilKhan is cautioned about duplicity within the Clans, and at the most, the Clans will devour each other, returning to the very divisiveness that spawned them three hundred years ago.

But, if ComStar knew enough to guess at all that . . .Phelan shivered. Stop! I have conspiracies on the brain!

A message scrolling across the bottom of his screen told him that the Thirty-first Wolf Solahma had linked up with their JumpShip and were headed home. Phelan knew he should have sent a message up to the ship, bidding his people farewell, but he did not because it would have meant seeing Conal's face again. He was happy to be rid of him because he was certain Conal would have applauded the Falcon ploy and even suggested they finish the bandits' mission.

Phelan shrugged. It matters no longer. They are gone. The Red Corsair is gone.Phelan realized that someone might give her more men and materiel, but it was unlikely. This foray had cost her backers more than 20 fighters, 103 BattleMechs, and 2 OverlordClass Drop-Ships. The gamble had been worth it, but repeating it was not. He'd have liked to have her in his hands, though, to learn who else was involved in this conspiracy.

Phelan's thought vanished as the door to his office burst open. He looked up and saw Nelson Geist standing in the doorway. Pressing a key to wipe the screen, the Khan brought his head up. "The stellar hermit emerges from his celestial lair?"

Geist's eyes blazed with zealous fervor. "I can give you the Red Corsair."

Phelan raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"I know where she's going." Geist held up an optical data disk as if it were a holy relic. "How?"

The man laughed aloud. "Not how, Ward, but how much. How much is the information worth to you?"

"I won't be blackmailed, Geist."

"And I won't be left behind." Nelson ran the fingers of his half-hand back through his hair. "You know I am not a traitor. You know I hate her. Promise me I go too."

"Bargained well and done." Phelan stood. "Where is she?"

Nelson Geist's lungs pumped like a bellows. "When she had me, she ran me in a computer simulation of her base. She made me learn it and promised me that I would live out the rest of my days there as her slave." The MechWarrior tapped the disk against the steel manacle he wore. "I learned my lessons well, very well. I outfoxed her."

The man tossed the disk to the Khan. "While there I spent time studying the night sky on her world. I picked out and named constellations. It has taken me two weeks of reviewing star charts from worlds you Clans have taken. I saw them all, season by season, hemisphere by hemisphere."

Nelson Geist smiled for the first time in Phelan's memory and it was not a pleasant thing to see. "Elissa. That's where we'll find her." Geist's smile broadened. "And that's where she'll die."

39

Arc-Royal

Federated Commonwealth

19 September 3055

 

Looking skyward, Nelson Geist could just barely make out the four DropShips the First 'Mech Regiment was using for transport to the waiting JumpShips. He dropped his half-empty dufflebag and gave Phelan a smart salute. "Kommandant Nelson Geist reporting as ordered, sir."

The tall, slender Khan nodded curtly. "You will be billeted aboard the Owl's Nest,sharing a cabin with Mr. Bates."

Nelson felt his heart sink into his stomach. "Bates? But I thought?"

"You thought what, Kommandant?"

"I thought you trusted me."

Phelan's eyes hooded over and Nelson felt a chill run down his spine. In an instant he knew that the Khan trusted no one outside his circle of advisors or the Kell Hounds. The Red Corsair had gotten to him that much. That kept Nelson an outsider, but he knew it also made them kindred spirits.

"You have provided me information that is very useful, Kommandant. I am bringing you with me because that was our agreement in trade for your information." The edge in Phelan's voice eased a bit. "And you do know the Red Corsair. But trust?Trust in this matter is a very volatile commodity."

Nelson's head came up. "When we get there, I will get a 'Mech?"

"No."

"No!" Nelson's jaw dropped. "But ..."

"You bargained to come along, nothing more. I hold you to your bargain. You can come or not, your choice."

The fantasy Nelson had nurtured since his escape, the vision of facing the Red Corsair in a gigantic Circle of Equals vanished. Who was I kidding?He tried to ball his hands into fists, but his half-hand mocked him. He is Clan, she is Clan. The conflict is beyond me.

Nelson looked up at the Wolf Khan. "She still has my men. I'm going."

* * *

Phelan drummed his fingers impatiently on the arm of the chair in his cabin aboard the Owl's Nest.Dan Allard, sitting next to him, smiled. "Phelan, you'll have worn your way through the arm by the time we get there. Patience is a virtue."

"True enough, Colonel, but I fear this is one race that will go to the swift." Phelan tugged at the restraining belt as he watched the timer on his commlink computer tick down. After the initial jump from Arc-Royal, both JumpShips immediately made another hop to Yeguas. There they wasted a week charging their Kearny-Fuchida jump drives' coils from their solar sails while recharging the lithium-fusion batteries aboard both ships at the recharge station at the star's apex jump point.

The older man shook his head. "I think we must be ahead of her already. We have no word of her raiding a recharge station in the Federated Commonwealth for a recharge, so she's probably still in our space. I don't think your Clans are going to be any more charitable to her than the Feds will be. We will reach her base and inhabit it a month before she comes home."

Phelan kept his face expressionless. Unless she reaches the Jade Falcons and they speed her on her way.He drummed his fingers some more. "I hope you're right, because I do not want to give her the chance to rebuild and re-arm, then come back. Elissa is a planet settled by a pacificistic sect known as the Inheritors. Its members have given up on technology. They live as simple farmers, scattered in little villages across the planet. Clan Wolf doesn't even have a garrison on the world. But it is possible that a Star League depot still exists there and the Red Corsair has tapped into that as a source of supply ..."

Dan smiled. "We fall back on your secondary plan. We use the Kell Hounds to blockade the world and you summon up your Galaxy to destroy her. Either way, she's done."

Three tones sounded throughout the Owl's Nest.Phelan forced himself to relax as the timer clicked down to zero, and the universe suddenly collapsed in on him. Blackness curled upward and around in a bowl starting at his feet, like the trough of two black waves headed at each other. They continued to pull back and grew higher and higher until they closed over the top of him.

The bubble in which he had been trapped began to thin at the walls as the first jump ended, but it imploded when the second kicked in. The black water roof fell in on him. He felt himself drowning and watched images of the Red Corsair, Ulric, Conal, Victor, Ranna, and Vlad swirling around him. Millions of conspiracy plots swam through the darkness, and the urgent need for speed thundered through his head.

The second jump ended and Phelan shook his head to clear it. The commlink on his desk showed a Jade Falcon logo, then dissolved into the face of a Clanner who looked bored with his duty. "Alyina Recharge Station."

Phelan sat up, releasing the restraining belt. He tugged at the base of his tunic. "I am Khan Phelan Ward of the Wolves. Recharge both of these ships immediately."

The commtech looked surprised, then his face darkened. "I do not have you scheduled here, Khan Phelan."

"We are on an urgent mission for the ilKhan. Do as I have commanded."

That brought the man's head up, and Phelan instantly knew he had overplayed his hand. "The ilKhan and I do not correspond, and the authorization you seek is not mine to grant. I will switch you."

The screen returned to the logo and Phelan slammed a fist into the arm of his chair. "Dammit."

Dan arched an eyebrow. "Is that bad?"

Phelan shrugged. "That man is a member of the technician caste. He should have obeyed me. His superior is no doubt a warrior."

The logo again vanished and was replaced with a man's face. From the thickness of his neck and the massive set of his shoulders, Phelan knew he was an Elemental. "I am Star Colonel Taman Malthus. I am in command of Alyina and its resources."

"I am Khan Phelan Ward and I need ..."

The man held up a huge hand. "The nature of your demand has been made known to me, Khan Ward. I am afraid the Jade Falcons have ships coming through that will require the charges you desire."

"We are on a mission for the ilKhan! "

The blue-eyed Elemental shrugged. "I have no orders to assist you and I am not one of your pups to comply just because a wolfling demands it."

Dan Allard leaned over to Phelan. "Perhaps if we could meet with the Star Colonel to explain ..."

Malthus frowned. "If you are thinking of invading Alyina, I will defend with all I have. My first action will be to cripple the recharge station, so you will not gain by it."

"Easy." Phelan held both his hands up. "What Colonel Allard meant was ..."

"Allard?" Malthus' blue eyes narrowed with suspicion. "He is an Allard?"

Phelan hit a button on the commlink that zoomed the lens back to bring Dan into the picture with him. He looked at the older man and jerked a thumb at the commlink.

Dan gave Malthus a disarming smile. "I am Colonel Daniel Allard of the Kell Hounds."

The Elemental stared out from the flat screen for a moment. "Do you know of Kai Allard-Liao?"

Dan's smile broadened. "I do. He is my nephew, my late brother's son."

Malthus nodded. "I know him. I hunted him. I fought beside him."

"He has not spoken much of his time on Alyina." Dan's expression grew grim. "It was not an easy time for him."

"But it was one of which he should be proud," said Malthus. "I have seen an Allard fight. On the chance that what he knew he learned from you, I will bargain away the ship charges you need in return for your promise of peaceful passage away from Alyina."

Dan smiled. "Bargained well and done. I will tell Kai that we spoke."

The Elemental nodded. "Tell him I said I am proud to consider him a comrade."

* * *

Of all the people in the task force, Nelson Geist knew that he alone was happy at the week added to their schedule when Phelan detoured through Jade Falcon space and into the Wolf Clan occupation zone. The detour forced an added pair of jumps that gave Nelson the one thing he wanted: time.

During the delays Chris Kell worked with him in combat simulators to bring him back into training. The schedule Nelson set himself was grueling and both Bates and Kell had to urge him to get more sleep and to eat regularly. He knew they thought him obsessive, but they had become his allies, working hard to help him hone his skills as a pilot.

Together they hatched a plot that was as elegant as it was simple. Nelson prepared a document in which he resigned his commission in the Kooken Militia. Chris Kell then offered him a contract with the Kell Hounds and convinced Dan Allard to sign off on it. Kommandant Nelson Geist became Major Nelson Geist, a tactical advisor with the Kell Hounds.

When the papers were signed, Nelson could not keep a smile from his face. "My grandsons would be overjoyed to know I have signed with the Hounds. I will have to find them a playmate so both of them can command little armies of Kell Hounds."

Chris nodded in agreement. "You will have to bring them to Arc-Royal. They will find plenty of children there to play with—though I would say allof them will be partial to the Hounds."

With the paperwork out of the way, Nelson's training went into high gear. If any opening came up in the First Regiment, Chris vowed to push him as the man to fill the empty slot. Chris even suggested that he would trade slots with another man in the unit so he could get a Battle-Masterand let Nelson backseat him.

Nelson repaid Chris's faith in him during the times when they were not training or he was not napping. Throughout the trip, repairs continued on the BattleMechs of the First Regiment. Nelson, Bates, and Chris all labored long and hard to refit the Thunderboltwith armor and to reinforce the skeletal structures damaged on Arc-Royal.

The repairs were pronounced finished just in time for the last jump to Elissa. Chris joined the other mercenary officers in the Khan's cabin for a final meeting. Chris said he would be pushing the case for Nelson's participation in any battle that took place on Elissa, so it came as only a slight surprise when the Khan summoned Nelson into his presence.

When he entered the cabin he knew immediately that Chris's request had been denied. The Khan had no trouble meeting Nelson's gaze while Chris shied from it and shook his head. "You sent for me, Khan Phelan?" Nelson stood at ease, with his head proudly raised.

"I applaud your effort, Kommandant, and I wish more warriors had your heart and drive. Your request to serve in a 'Mech has been denied." The Khan's hard expression softened a bit. "That does not mean, however, that I do not recognize your skills. I will communicate them in a letter to Prince Victor Davion and urge him to reinstate you in the regular army." The Khan looked at Dan. "That is, ifColonel Allard decides to give you up."

"Thank you, sir." Nelson choked down the lump in his throat. "Is that all, sir?"

"No." Phelan leaned forward on his desk. "We will be jumping into Elissa in less than two minutes. Is there anything you have not told us?"

Nelson shook his head. "You know all of it."

"Very well." The Khan pointed him to a chair. "Be seated. We are about to jump."

Nelson and the Kell Hound officers strapped themselves into their chairs. Chris reached out and squeezed Nelson's shoulder. "I'm sorry. I tried."

Nelson nodded. "I know. I hope the training you did against me allows you to finish what I cannot."

"My finger will be on the button, but your spirit will be pushing it."

Three tones sounded, with the last one echoing into the eternity that swallowed Nelson when the ship jumped. He felt himself stretched out until he was only an atom in thickness, then feared he would be torn apart. That fear died amid the regret he felt at being unable to avenge himself against the Red Corsair. Suddenly he reconstituted himself around his need for revenge and as his atoms returned to flesh him out once again, he knew he had escaped oblivion for only one purpose: to kill the Red Corsair.

Nothing and no one can stop me from that.

His vision cleared and he saw the Khan concentrating on his commlink screen. "Incoming message from Elissa, Khan Phelan," he heard a commtech say.

The Khan looked at the officers in the room. "It seems we are anticipated. So much for the advantage of surprise." He hit a button on his computer. "Run it in here."

Oh, there is an advantage in surprise, but they have it!Nelson saw the blank screen fill with Conal Ward's face. "Khan Phelan Ward, with what forces will you attack Elissa?"

Phelan sat back, clearly stunned. "If this is your idea of a joke, Conal."